Gait: Put a Spring in your Step this May
Whether you’re enjoying local walks, gardening, or simply getting out more, your gait (the way you walk) plays a significant role in your overall posture and spinal health.
What many people don’t realise is that even subtle imbalances in the way you walk can create strain throughout your body, potentially contributing to long-term musculoskeletal issues. Below, we explore why your gait matters, the tensional loading pattern and how it influences posture, and what you can do to keep moving well this season and beyond.
What Is Gait and Why Is It Important?
Gait refers to the coordinated pattern of movement that occurs during walking. This complex process involves the integrated function of the feet, ankles, knees, hips, pelvis, spine, and upper limbs. When any part of this kinetic chain is disrupted due to injury, muscle imbalance, joint restriction or asymmetry compensatory movement patterns often develop. Over time, these compensations can lead to:
- Lower back discomfort
- Shoulder and neck tension
- Hip, knee, or foot pain
- Uneven wear on footwear
- Fatigue or reduced walking efficiency
The Biomechanics of the Foot
The foot is a highly specialised structure composed of 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles, ligaments, and tendons! During a standard gait cycle, each foot progresses through several key phases:
1. Heel Strike – initial contact with the ground
2. Foot Flat (Loading Response) – weight is absorbed through the entire foot
3. Mid Stance – the body’s weight is balanced over the supporting leg
4. Heel Off – heel lifts as the body prepares to move forward
5. Toe Off – the final push from the forefoot
6. Swing Phase – the leg swings through to the next step
When foot mechanics are efficient, the feet act as a natural shock absorber and propulsive force. However, dysfunctions such as excessive pronation, limited toe mobility, or fallen/collapsed arches can negatively affect gait, leading to poor postural compensation and strain on joints above.
Posture Starts from the Ground Up
Think of your body like a structure built from the feet up. If the foundation (your feet and gait) is unstable or misaligned, it affects the integrity of everything above it.
Common gait issues that impact posture include:
- Over pronation (excessive inward foot rolling)
- Pelvic tilt or imbalance
- Dropped arches or flat feet
- Shortened stride length due to tight hips or weak gluteal muscles
Over time, these compensations can lead to postural distortion, where the spine and pelvis adapt to support the imbalance, often resulting in chronic discomfort or fatigue.
Biotensegrity and Fascial Loading
Beyond the skeletal system, is your fascial network. The connective tissue web that surrounds and links muscles, bones and organs plays a vital role in posture and movement. In recent years medical research supports the concept of Biotensegrity, the body supports structural integrity through a balance of tension and compression, similar to a suspension bridge.
“the biological fabric that holds us together, the connective tissue network. You are about 70 trillion cells – neurons, muscle cells, epithelia – all humming in relative harmony; fascia is the 3-D spider web of fibrous, gluey, and wet proteins that binds them all together in their proper placement” Thomas M. Meyers
- Bones = compression struts
- Fascia, muscles, ligaments = tension elements
Abnormal gait patterns can lead to uneven fascial loading, where some areas of fascia is overstretched while others remain underused or tight. This imbalance may restrict mobility, reduce efficiency of movement, and contribute to discomfort. By addressing these tensions through Chiropractic care, manual therapy, and movement-based rehabilitation, we can help restore optimal tension patterns across the body.
What Can You Do to Improve Gait and Posture?
Your body is adaptable and capable of change. With the right approach, dysfunctional movement patterns can be corrected.
Here’s what we commonly recommend:
- Comprehensive Gait Assessment
We offer detailed gait and postural analysis to find imbalances and inefficient movement patterns. If further help or additional diagnostic skill is required, we have the resources to refer you onto another gait specialist for any video analysis, digital foot scanning or performance physical examination.
- Custom Orthotics
Where appropriate, bespoke foot orthotics can support optimal foot function and reduce strain along the kinetic chain.
- Chiropractic Adjustments
Manual adjustments help restore normal joint movement and alignment, particularly in the pelvis and spine, to support more efficient walking and loading patterns.
- Rehabilitation and Exercise Therapy
Targeted strengthening and mobility exercises especially for the feet, hips and core help restore balance and support proper gait patterns.
- Walking Technique Coaching
Mindful walking, maintaining an upright posture, activating the glutes, engaging the core, pulling the belly button in and moving through a full heel-to-toe stride can significantly improve walking comfort and reduce compensatory stress.
Take the First Step Towards Better Posture
Consider how you’re moving, not just how far… The good news is that you can restore balance to your body! By focusing on improving posture, getting Chiropractic care, and doing exercises that target tight or weak areas, you can help release tension and strengthen the muscles that need it.
Correcting your gait can significantly reduce pain, enhance posture, and improve your overall wellbeing. If you’ve been noticing discomfort during walking or suspect postural issues, give us a call for further support. Your local Chiropractor can treat more than just joints; addressing the communication circuit from your brain, nerves to your toes, balancing your foundation and letting the body help heal itself.
Let us help you put a healthy, confident spring back in your step.
For further support, reach out to me on email at jessica@tivolichiropractic.co.uk or book online here.
Check out our last blog too, by Chiropractor Katie Green, “Got a ‘Knot’ in Your Muscle?“
